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Teaching American History Grant
Resource Website
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“The people are the ultimate guardians of their own liberty. History, by apprising them of the past, will enable them to judge of the future. It will avail them of the experience of other times and other nations..."
—Thomas Jefferson
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The history professors at Minnesota State University Moorhead asked the teachers of rural western
Minnesota
, "How can we help you teach American history?" The answers to that question are the outlines of this project.
A needs survey of teachers was conducted, meetings were held with school administrators and curriculum experts, and the partners worked cooperatively to design an ambitious project to improve the teaching of American history across a wide swath of the northern plains. American Crossroads will bring together rural
Minnesota
teachers, the Lakes Country Service Cooperative, Minnesota State University Moorhead, and local, state and national historical organizations to improve the teaching of American history at the crossroads of the continent.
American Crossroads will provide history content seminars for area teachers, create Professional Learning Communities to promote and perfect history-driven pedagogy, teacher collaboration and disseminate the lessons and methods of the project, forge lasting partnerships between teachers and organizations such as the Minnesota Historical Society, Colonial Williamsburg and the Gilder-Lehrman Institute, and host a series of workshops and professional development activities open to teachers throughout western Minnesota.
This project is designed to overcome the isolation many American History teachers experience while working in small, rural schools on the isolated northern plains where winter weather can prohibit travel over half the school year. Participants will network in person and online with regional colleagues, and will have a positive and continuing relationship with local professors. By visiting historical sites and institutions, and becoming familiar with the variety of digital sources being put into web circulation, teachers will have world-class expertise and resources at their fingertips.
A rigorous and scientific plan of evaluation, conducted by experienced independent evaluators, will provide for continuous improvement of the project and document the success of the project. |
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